Demon Blood
by LookingForOctober
Summary: Spike lied when he claimed Tara was fully human in the Buffy episode Family. Tara has some decisions to make. Incomplete.
1. Chapter 1

A few days after the episode _Family_

"N-no, no, you go on ahead, I'll go back and get it and catch up," Tara told Willow. "Please. You're cold."

"We could do a spell for warmth," Willow suggested brightly.

Tara smiled gently. "Maybe later," she said. "When I have the book back, I'm worried that someone will..."

Willow pouted.

"I won't be long," Tara said. "I promise."

"I'll get everything ready," Willow said. Tara turned back.

"For our spell," Willow explained with an appealing smile. "You said later, and I just had the best idea for a spell-"

Tara's mouth quirked; she almost laughed. "I said...I can't resist you whatever you want to do."

"In that case..."

Tara did laugh a little tiny laugh then. "I'll hurry," she said. Willow smirked and turned away.

The night seemed darker as Tara hurried back toward the library, but also more peaceful - right up until the bushes in front of her rustled and then parted to reveal a threatening shape in a long black coat. Tara flinched, and then relaxed as she recognized Spike.

"Hate it when you lot do that," Spike said.

"D-d-do what?" Tara said.

"You see me and you think to yourself, oh it's Spike, he's _safe_," Spike said. "Bloody cheek, that's what it is."

"I d-don't think y-you're-"

"Yeah, right mouse you are," Spike agreed. "But you're more than you think you are." He drew his fist back and punched her in the nose. She didn't duck until too late.

"Thought so," Spike said calmly.

"What was that for?" Tara asked, clutching her nose, so outraged she didn't even stammer. "You— Why aren't you—"

"You really believed me," Spike marvelled.

"I-I-I—" Tara stammered. "Oh, god."

"Not exactly," Spike said. "Try the devil. You're one of us, Satan's demonic brood."

"But you— When you hit me in front of everyone— Y-you said it hurt—"

"Easy to fake," Spike said.

"But _why_?"

"I was bored."

Tara's shoulders hunched.

"And I liked your dad. I liked fooling him and thwarting him and making him look small. It's the little pleasure, you know. I was in the mood to screw someone over."

"Y-y-you saved m-me because—"

"Hey, I didn't save anyone. Last time I looked it was Buffy who did the saving. I just helped things along a little."

"Th-th-thank—" Tara looked at Spike with despairing eyes, her mouth working and no sound coming out for a couple of second. She took a shallow breath and tried again. "Thank y-you," she managed to get out. "Anyway."

She tucked her head down and tried to back away, but Spike reached out and grabbed her arm. "Not so fast," he said.

His grip was hard enough to bring tears to Tara's eyes. "But y-you..." Her breath caught. "Y-you were in the m-mood, were you screwing him or me? I m-mean..."

"That's the beauty of it love, I didn't have to pick."

Tara tried half heartedly to pull away from Spike. "B-b-b-b-buffy won't let you—"

"You're no better than me," Spike said in a low, intense voice. "Don't pretend like the Slayer really cares."

"She s-s-said...f-family..." Tara mumbled, barely audible through the curtain of her hair.

"Yeah, that's why she looks at you with the same protective passion as her little sis. Buffy'll save anyone, once or twice."

"Willow—" Tara began in a stronger voice, much more sure of her ground. Spike's grip tightened, and Tara ducked her head.

"You might not have noticed, but the witch doesn't like even _ex_-demons."

"B-but W-willow and Anya— There's more t-to it than..."

"What I'm trying to say is that you don't want them to find out you're a demon. Do you?" Spike said. He let go of Tara, deceptively gentle. When Tara moved he was behind her, keeping her contained, whispering in her ear. "Keep things simple."

"I-I-I I _trust_—" Tara said angrily. "A-and even you, the gang puts up—"

"They use me, love," Spike said, strolling back around to stand in front of Tara. "There's a difference. And I use them, which is the matter under discussion."

Tara's eyes opened wide. "Y-you—" She couldn't manage to say anything more.

"I'm giving you the chance to save yourself," Spike said.

Tara made a tiny noise of protest.

"Right, you don't have that in you, so I'll put it another way. I'm blackmailing you."

Tara looked up, meeting Spike's eyes and then immediately looking away. Her hair screened her face as she mumbled, "I-I don't h-have anyth-thing—"

"You owe me, little witch. A favour, a spell, whatever I need. If not, I can make them see the demon in you, don't think I can't. And after that, it'll never be the same."

"I-I-I... I don't do f-favours for vampires," Tara said, and flinched when Spike moved toward her.

"I think you will," Spike said, with extra menace. "When you've thought about it."

He punched her again, in the stomach, and she doubled up. When she could breath, when she could finally look up, he was gone. Or maybe he was in the bushes, watching her.

She didn't know. Every bush and every tree was a menace, every breeze let loose a million new threats.

She scurried away, flinching at every shadow.


	2. Chapter 2

"Tell me a story," Willow said.

"Okay," Tara said, looking up from the book she was pouring over with relief. The relief faded when she found Willow's gaze completely intent on her. She blushed and looked away. "What kind of a story?"

"Any kind. It doesn't even have to be a story, you can just talk to me. You've been so quiet lately. Ever since that demon attacked you the other night when you were fetching that book. I mean, I understand, being a demon punching bag is no fun at all, but..."

"I know," Tara said, and brought her book over to the bed. She lay down beside Willow and propped the book up on the pillow. "I've had a lot to think about."

Willow wrapped an arm around Tara. "I just want you to be able to talk to me. About anything, whatever you're thinking about."

Tara pointed at the page she'd been studying. "I've been thinking about demons," she said.

"You don't have to, Buffy will track down—"

"But I want to. I want to think about demons. Buffy has enough to do, she has to worry about Glory, and this is my problem."

"It's not your problem," Willow said. "Just because—"

"Willow, it is my p-problem. Because..."

"It's our problem," Willow said. Tara shook her head. "All of us. You know that. We're all part of the family."

"I—" Tara flipped to the next page of the demon book and studied the line drawing of a humanoid demon, with only slitted cat eyes and hairy ears to reveal its demon nature. She touched her ear reflexively.

"There's something you're not telling me," Willow said slowly. "Tara?"

"No, I don't— I mean—" Tara looked everywhere but Willow, and then sighed and met Willow's eyes. "You're right."

"I'm right?" Willow said, surprised. "But I don't want to be right. Being right about you holding back isn't good." She paused, then said hopefully, "Unless you're going to tell me everything now?"

Tara sat up carefully, cross legged on the bed facing Willow. Willow mirrored her posture, seriously preparing for a long drawn out talk.

"I know you don't like it when I don't tell you something," Tara said. "Like I didn't tell you about my family until they showed up, but Willow, I'm not used to telling anyone anything. After my mom died, I never had anyone to tell. Until you. I'm still figuring it all out."

"You're never going to figure it out if you don't do it," Willow said. "I'm trustworthy, I promise."

"It's not that, it's j-just—" Tara shook her head, and her hair fell across her face. "It's j-j-just..."

Willow waited expectantly. Tara looked up, opened her mouth, couldn't find the words. Her mouth shut with the words still locked inside, but at least she didn't look away. "Can I tell you a story?" Tara asked earnestly.

Willow's face fell, all her expectations overturned.

"I think you'll like this story," Tara said. She put her hand on Willow's knee. "Please?"

"Okay," Willow said, grudgingly. She flung herself petulantly down on the pillow next to the demon book. The book bounced.

Tara closed the book and lay down next to Willow, her lips next to Willow's ear. She spoke softly. "Once upon a time there was a duckling. Or at least, she thought she was a duckling, but everyone told her she was a very ugly duckling."

"This sounds familiar," Willow grumbled.

"Let me go on, you might be surprised."

"I hope so," Willow said.

"She swam in the pond with the other ducklings, and they ran away from her. They called her names, like 'demon' and 'witch'."

"Witch isn't bad name," Willow said indignantly, sitting up half way.

"It is when you're just a little duckling," Tara said gently, dragging Willow back down.

Willow let herself be pulled, but not quieted. "Little ducklings grow up, and find out that the bad names they were called aren't so bad after all. And that's how they become swans," she said, turning to look at Tara. "And live happily ever after."

"Maybe," Tara said, very quietly. "I'm not sure."

"But you're a wonderful witch," Willow said. "You can't think—"

"Shhhhh..." Tara said. "I'm telling a story."

"But—"

"Shhhhh..."

Willow subsided with grumbling noises. Tara gently reached out and nudged her head until her ear was right next to Tara's lips. Then Tara continued.

"The little duckling's mother comforted her when she came home from school crying, and taught her spells that she said had been in the family for years. She told the duckling that there was a difference between being a witch and being a demon. She told the duckling not to listen to anyone who told her otherwise, and the little duckling believed her."

"See?" Willow said. "I told you—"

"Shhhhh..."

"I did tell you," Willow muttered, shifting restlessly.

"But the story isn't over," Tara said. "There's still a lot more about demons..."

"That's not important, it's the happily every after that's important," Willow said. "Can we just skip to the happily every after?"

Tara sighed.

"Please?"

"But the d-demons are the whole p-point of the story," Tara said. "If there weren't any demons..."

"Shhhh..." Willow said with a smile. "I can tell you how it ends. Buffy kills all the demons—"

Tara made a whimpering protesting noise, then covered her mouth.

"—No, you're right. How about this: the ugly duckling becomes a powerful witch and kills all the demons herself. We'll get started tomorrow."

"But—"

"No buts," Willow said. "If this is something you need to do, then I'll help you. The demon that attacked you won't know what hit him."

"Willow, I w-wasn't telling a story about k-k-killing demons. I was t-telling a story about growing up with demons. Sometimes you don't want to kill the demons. Sometimes your mother is the demon, and—"

"Oh, Tara." Willow was all compassion, but a little tiny bit impatient too. "You're not still worried about your family's silly story about demons, are you? You're not a demon. Your mother wasn't a demon. You know better than that, you're stronger than that. I know you are. You're not going to let their lies affect your life."

"But what if—"

"No what ifs."

Tara took a deep breath. "Willow, it's t-t-t-t-true." Tara forced the final word out by sheer force of will. "I'm a d-d-d-d-" She couldn't say it. She looked down.

"You can't be a demon, you're the human I love more than anything in the world. Tara, _Spike _vouched for you, and if there's one thing we all know about Spike, it's that he doesn't do anyone any favors. There are no demons except the one we're going to kill. Right?"

Tara sighed and gave up. "No, Spike doesn't do any favors," she echoed.

Willow picked up the book on demons and flipped it open. "Have you identified the demon that attacked you?" she asked briskly. "We need to figure out its weaknesses."

* * *

A note arrived in the mail the next day:

My place. Wednesday night after midnight.

Or else.


End file.
